Contractile and Electrical Responses of Guinea-pig Gastric Smooth Muscle to Bradykinin

The nonapeptide bradykinin has been shown to exhibit an array of biological activities including relaxation/contraction of various smooth muscles. In order to investigate the effects of bradykinin on the contractility and the electrical activity of antral circular muscle of guinea-pig stomach, the isometric contraction and membrane potential were recorded. Also, using standard patch clamp technique, the $Ca^{2+}-activated$ K currents were recorded to observe the change in cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. $0.4 {\mu}M$ bradykinin induced a triphasic contractile response (transient contraction-transient relaxation-sustained contraction) and this response was unaffected by pretreatment with neural blockers (tetrodotoxin, atropine and guanethidine) or with apamin. Bradykinin induced hyperpolarization of resting membrane potential and enhanced the amplitude of slow waves and spike potentials. The enhancement of spike potentials was blocked by neural blockers. Both the bradykinin-induced contractions and changes in membrane potential were reversed by the selective $B_2$-receptor antagonist $(N{\alpha}-adamantaneacetyl-_{D}-Arg-[Hyp, Thy,_{D}-Phe]-bradykinin)$. In whole-cell patch clamp experiment, we held the membrane potential at -20 mV and spontaneous and transient changes of Ca-activated K currents were recorded. Bradykinin induced a large transient outward current, consistent with a calcium-releasing action of bradykinin front the intracellular calcium pool, because such change was blocked by pretreatment with caffeine. Bradykinin-induced contraction was also blocked by pretreatment with caffeine. From these results, it is suggested that bradykinin induces a calciumrelease and contraction through the $B_{2}$ receptor of guinea-pig gastric smooth muscle. Enhancement of slow wave activity is an indirect action of bradykinin through enteric nerve cells embedded in muscle strip.